Detroit Pistons' Vernon Macklin to be activated for Wednesday's road game in Atlanta

AUBURN HILLS – Detroit Pistons
rookie Vernon Macklin will be activated for Wednesday's game in
Atlanta, head coach Lawrence Frank said today.

Macklin will see time against the
Hawks at power forward, Frank said, after averaging just more than 14
points and 14 rebounds in nearly a month with the Fort Wayne Mad
Ants, before the NBA Developmental League season ended.

Macklin played sparingly with the
Pistons from the season's start until he went to Fort Wayne in
mid-March. He rejoined the Pistons early last week and has
participated in one practice, last Tuesday in Orlando.

“You could make a fairly
convincing argument he was the best player at practice, as far as his
what he put into it, and his commitment to it,” Frank recalled.

Frank said he intends to try
different rotation and position tweaks in the final half-dozen games.
Tonight, against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Jonas Jerebko, who has
spent this season exclusively at power forward, is expected to back
up Tayshaun Prince at small forward. Jerebko sat out Sunday's loss
to Chicago entirely, to allow little-used Charlie Villanueva an
extensive run as backup power forward.

“This just gives us an
opportunity to give guys, guys who work every single day, give them
an opportunity,” Frank said. “But we're not letting down on
anything we're going to do. We put Charlie in the lineup against
Chicago fully anticipating that move would help us for a win. The
move the make tonight and tomorrow, same deal, we're still trying to
win the game.”

Wednesday in Atlanta is Macklin's
turn.

Frank didn't disclose the player
to be deactivated. Ben Wallace, in the middle game of a
back-to-back-to-back, is one candidate. Walker D. Russell, who
earned his way to the NBA through Fort Wayne but hasn't played much
recently, might sit a game to make roster room for his fellow
D-League alumnus, if the Pistons are willing to go short-handed at
guard.

“The D-League, you see, there's
been a lot of guys who've played in the D-League and they've come and
contributed to rosters,” Frank said. “Cleveland has a bunch of
them. So, hopefully, Vernon, we'll see where he's at, to give him a
legitimate opportunity. And hopefully, that builds some momentum for
him going into the offseason.”